If any game summed up Ismaila Sarr’s Watford career, it came on August 8th 2022; A 1-1 draw with Championship rivals West Bromwich Albion.
Wonderous from 60 yards, woeful from 12; Sarr’s long-range wondergoal, lobbing the Baggies keeper from inside his own half, might have earned himself a place on the list of nominations for this years’ Puskas Award but it wasn’t enough to earn his team three valuable points in their promotion pursuit, Sarr undoing all that good work with a fairly dismal penalty comfortably saved midway through the second-half.
To some, this is Ismaila Sarr in a nutshell. Awe-inspiring one minute, awful the next. Undeniably talented, yes, but maddeningly erratic. In fact, Sarr hasn’t really played with any degree of sustained consistency since joining Watford in a club-record deal three years ago; Moments of magic like West Brom and that iconic brace in a 3-0 thumping of Liverpool undermined by long spells of poor form and a flurry of missed chances.
10 goals and six assists from 50 Premier League appearances is far from a dreadful tally. But nor is it what you’d expect from a forward valued in the £25 million bracket.
Crystal Palace overtake Leeds United in race for Watford’s Ismaila Sarr
According to FootMercato, Crystal Palace have had a £21 million bid rejected, with Watford holding out for a larger fee.
FM add that Leeds United were in ‘advanced discussions’ with the former Rennes ace before Crystal Palace moved into pole position. A move to Elland Road, however, appears to be dependent on Leeds selling one of their own forwards first.
Jack Harrison, a target for Newcastle United, is the attacker most likely to attract attention. But would you sell Harrison – a reliable source of creativity from the flank – for a man capable of magical moments, but only once every blue moon? Harrison, in two top-flight seasons, has 16 goals and nine assists. Far more than Sarr.
That £25 million price-tag, meanwhile, is only a few million less than AC Milan paid for Charles de Ketelaere. There is value to be found on the market, if you’re willing to shop in some more exotic stores. PSV’s Cody Gakpo for instance – 21 goals, 15 assists last season and a Dutch international – could be available for a similar fee, after all.
There is no reason why Sarr, still young at 24, cannot take his game to an all-new level under Patrick Vieira at Crystal Palace; A club famed for getting the best out of talented wide forwards. But Sarr has done little throughout his time in England – barring the headline-making moment – to suggest he’s a £25 million risk worth taking.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
